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U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps


Iwo Jima Operation, 1945 U.S. Navy doctors and corpsmen administer to wounded Marines at an Iwo Jima first aid station, 20 February 1945. Navy Chaplain Lieutenant (Junior Grade) John H. Galbreath (right center) is kneeling beside a man who has se...

Iwo Jima, 1945. U.S. Navy doctors and corpsmen administer to wounded Marines at a first aid station, 20 February 1945. Navy Chaplain Lieutenant (Junior Grade) John H. Galbreath (right center) is kneeling beside a man who has severe flash burns, received in an artillery battery 50 yards or so away (80-G-435702).


The history of the Chaplain Corps of the U.S. Navy parallels the history of the Navy, itself. During the past century-and-a-half, chaplains of the Navy have shared the hardships and rewards that come to other naval personnel and have ministered to these in many ways. The chronicle of the activities of these padres of the sea—representing many religions and denominations—began with the Continental Navy and carry on to the present day. Explore the following resources to learn more.

Oral History

Valor Awards to U.S. Navy Chaplains

    Lieutenant Vincent Capodanno

    Lieutenant Commander Joseph T. O’Callahan

    Commander George S. Rentz

    Lieutenant Junior Grade Aloysius H. Schmitt

     Chaplain Francis Lee Albert

    Ships Named for Chaplains

Navy Chaplain Corps Infographics

Further Reading

Graphics


Chaplian Core History banner

Celebrating the History and Heritage of Navy Chaplains



<p>Honoring the Life and Ministry of Heroic Navy Chaplains</p>

Honoring the Life and Ministry of Heroic Navy Chaplains



Chaplain CorpMission Banner

Mission: Inspiring Hope and Strengthening Spiritual Well-Being


Selected Imagery


<p>Purple ribbon sash with gold embroidered crosses and edges belonging to LT JF Crotty&nbsp;</p>

Chaplain's Stole, LT John F. Crotty, Battle of Iwo Jima



<p>Men of the floating reserve regiment (4th Marine Division) attend a Catholic mass before their time in hell.</p>

Catholic mass at Iwo Jima. Men of the floating reserve regiment (4th Marine Division) attend a Catholic mass before their time in hell. (USMC 142363)



Chaplain W. S. Brown, USN

Chaplain W. S. Brown, USN, conducts services aboard a U.S. Navy Submarine on a war patrol, during World War II. Chaplain Brown was a passenger aboard the submarine, en route to his new station somewhere in the Pacific. Photo undated. It was released on 28 March 1944. (80-G-45101)



USS PITTSBURGH (CA-4)

Military funeral on board USS Pittsburgh, circa 1929, for Sergeant Major Luke, U.S. Marine Corps. Conducted by Captain Thomas B. Thompson (Chaplain Corps), USN. (NH 93442)



USS OXFORD (AG-159)

Lieutenant Commander John L. Curtis, Chaplain Corps, giving the invocation at the commissioning ceremony of USS Oxford (AG-159), at the New York Naval Shipyard, 8 July 1961. (NH 42933)



Lieutenant Chaplain Vincent R. Capodanno, USNR

Vignette giving details on why Lieutenant Capodanno received the Medal of Honor for actions taken in Vietnam on 4 September 1967. (NH 86997)



<p>Easter morning on Mount Suribachi</p>

Easter morning on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima. Their ardor undampened by a drizzling rain, Marines and Navy Seabees attend open-air divine services atop Mount Suribachi on blood-stained Iwo Jima. Covered by a poncho, a small organ provides musical accompaniment while a small choir sings hymns. Even as Chaplain Alvo Martin conducted these Easter services, on 1 April, fellow Marines and Army troops were swarming ashore on Okinawa, hundreds of miles away. (USN 49025)



Chaplain Corps Collection

LT George M. Kemper (USN) celebrates mass for the Marines on the first Sunday after their landing on Guam. (UA 17.01)



Chaplain Insignia. 1 December 1866

Chaplain Insignia. Chaplains of More than 12 years. Chaplains of Less than 12 Years. 1 December 1866. (NH 123275)



Photo #: USMC 530604 Pharmacist's Mate Edward Bykowski, USN

Pharmacist's Mate Edward Bykowski, USN, Receives a visit from Lieutenant Joshua L. Goldberg, USNR, Jewish Chaplain for the Third Naval District, on 10 February 1943. Bykowski is telling Lt. Goldberg of his rescue after he had been blown overboard from USS Vincennes (CA-44) when she was sunk on 9 August 1942, during the Battle of Savo Island. Both of his legs were broken. Looking on is Lieutenant Commander Ferold D. Lovejoy, USNR (Medical Corps). U.S. Marine Corps Photograph. (USMC 530604)



Photo #: NH 97120 &quot;YI-I-I ! IT'S A BOY!

YI-I-I ! IT'S A BOY! Bearing glad tidings of the birth of a son, Chaplain Rickel delivers a field message to Corporal Edward J. Combs ... The yound Marine is recovering from injuries suffered on the eastern front. Photograph taken by Sgt. Martin Bolhower. Original print bears no date, but it was filed with illustrations for the August 1952 issue of All Hands magazine, and was presumably taken a few months previously. Official U.S. Marine Corps Photograph, from the All Hands collection at the Naval History and Heritage Command. (NH 97120)


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Published: Wed May 18 15:57:33 EDT 2022